Water is one of the most basic and vital resources for sustaining life. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, water is often overlooked both in terms of availability and as a driver of household expenses. According to the EPA, each American uses an average of 100 gallons of water a day, and the average household spends as much as $500 per year on their water and sewer bill.
Those costs are likely to increase further in the future. A 2012 report by USA Today found that water rates have doubled in more than a quarter of 100 surveyed municipalities over the last 12 years, and industry experts predict additional increases in the years ahead.
The higher rates are being driven primarily by scarcity and improvements to water infrastructure, which the American Water Works Association estimates will cost over $1 trillion by 2035. Download newsletter
